May 202010
A team of scientists have successfully implanted a synthetic genome into a bacterial organism, creating the first synthetic life form. Start buying your surgical masks now because the first rogue superplague should make its debut in the next 12-18 months.
Seriously, this is a major advance, but I’m not sure we’ll be seeing smart vaccines or petroleum-devouring bugs any time soon. It usually takes several years for the gee-whiz laboratory innovations to make their way into the commercial market. But I’m sure the cable news outlets will, over the next few days, gleefully explore how this technology will turn the entire planet into a ball of gray goo.
